Just finished reading The Thirteenth Tale, based on recommendations in this thread. A really nice spooky story with lots of interesting twists.

Here's my favorite quote from the book:

"How long did I sit on the stairs after reading the letter? I don't know. For I was spellbound. There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic."

I loved that!!! It's so descriptive of what happens to those of us who are avid readers. Thanks for recommending the book!

Loved the quote from 'The Thirteenth Tale'. I haven't read that yet, but I'm sure I will now. I read endlessly!
Just finished 'Fever Dream' by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child....the latest featuring Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast. What a writing team! Thoroughly enjoyable!

09-06-2010, 07:49 PM

Critical

Re: What are you reading?

I finished The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens last night. It's the story of an overweight woman whose husband, on the eve of their 25th anniversary, doesn't come home. Although she's spent most of her life afraid of the world, she sets out to find him and get him back. She ends up in California, where she gets to know her mother-in-law for the first time, makes new friends and finds herself. It's not a new plot, but it was still a lovely read.

Now I'm reading Susan Hand Shetterly's Settled in the Wild: Notes From the Edge of Town, a memoir about the author's life with her family after they move to rural Maine.

09-06-2010, 08:20 PM

norealityhere

Re: What are you reading?

Am about to start Anna Quindlen's latest, Every Last One.
Totally love her writing, so I'm looking forward to this.

09-06-2010, 09:05 PM

Lil Bit

Re: What are you reading?

Right at this moment I'm reading "College Accounting". :(

I just came here to live vicariously through the rest of you! *sigh*

09-07-2010, 06:20 PM

obsession57

Re: What are you reading?

Just finished Girl in Translation... one of my favorite books ever. I couldn't put it down this weekend. Just started Velva Jean Learns to Drive. Also read Cutting for Stone for my book group... it needed to be cut by 100 pages but it picked up the pace and the ending was good. Next book group selection is Little Bee. Liked Shanghai Girls a lot. For a light vacation read, I also recommend True Colors by Kristin Hannah. I also want to read the new Anna Quindlen book; I went to a reading/signing she did and I enjoyed hearing her talk about the book.

09-07-2010, 09:00 PM

brunette trixie

Re: What are you reading?

I just finished One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson. I was kind of disappointed. I had such high hopes because the first book of hers I read, Case Histories, was so good. One Good Turn had good characters and fun dialogue, but the plot was really dumb.

Just started Promised to Keep by Jane Green. One of the characters is a vegan chef, and there are recipes for some of her dishes at the end of each chapter. They make me really hungry!

09-08-2010, 01:14 AM

Katydyd

Re: What are you reading?

Just finished Jennifer Crusie's newest "Maybe This Time." Pure escapist fluff and fun! Gothic British manor house complete with turret and moat (in southern Ohio no less!), creepy housekeeper, two troubled kids, ghosts and a second chance at love. This one was funny and romantic like her others, but there was just enough shiver factor with the ghosts for extra fun. The main character Andie's growing bond and relationship with the kids was really sweet (not to mention fast, but hey, I did say "fluff" :lol) I really like Jennifer's books - they're perfect for a quick, entertaining read. I just hope she doesn't take so long before her next solo book...it's been a while as her last three were co-authored by Bob Meyer.

09-08-2010, 05:17 PM

elk

Re: What are you reading?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Critical;4040761;

I read it pretty recently and LOVED it. I thought I'd found the original version, but found out it was still abridged, even though it was at least 800 pages long. One of these days, I'll hunt down the unabridged version, because I felt like I was missing things.

I found a character list online that showed all the relationships and who everyone was and then printed it out and kept it in the book, since my book didn't have that. It helped a lot since there are a lot of characters to keep track of. Actually, I just looked it up and this is it: File:Countofmontecristorelatio ns.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Beware that there are some plot points revealed in there, so if you don't want to know, don't look at it! I never did find a basic list that had just the character name and who they were, but that diagram helped.

Long story short - I thought it was a fantastic story and well worth the time :up

Thanks so much, Crit, for the review and the character list. I am pretty sure I am coming to an end of Dantes' stay on Chateau d'If and I'm enjoying it. Some of the descriptions are a little tedious but I think it is what I needed after "The Passage"; which, by the way, was amazing!!!

09-08-2010, 05:56 PM

Critical

Re: What are you reading?

Quote:

Originally Posted by elk;4056835;

Thanks so much, Crit, for the review and the character list. I am pretty sure I am coming to an end of Dantes' stay on Chateau d'If and I'm enjoying it. Some of the descriptions are a little tedious but I think it is what I needed after "The Passage"; which, by the way, was amazing!!!

You're very welcome! :)

I finished Settled in the Wild last night and, while it was beautifully written, I found it a bit depressing. There was a little too much "Circle of Life/Hey, animals die all the time" for my taste. I mean, I know nature can be cruel and animals are killed/die all the time - even cute, fluffy ones - but I don't want to read about it.

Now, I'm reading Gabrielle Zevin's The Hole We're In, which is totally different from that last book. It's the story of a seemingly "normal" family, who is imploding. The parents make some bad decisions, brought on by a mid-life crisis (the husband) and financial problems (the wife) that end up changing everything and hurting their youngest daughter the most. It's not a super-happy story, but the writing is really good and the story is so relevant.